Black morel or Early false morel

Cap conical or narrowly egg-shaped, 4–8 cm tall and 2–4 cm wide. The surface is covered with elongated lengthwise ridges and cross-ribs that form deep vertical pits. Color from dark brown to blackish on the ridges and gray in the pits.

Cap 2-5 cm tall, 2-4 cm across, bell-shaped or thimble-like, hangs from the top of the stem like a hood (it does not fuse with the stem — the fundamental difference from true morels). The surface is wrinkled and pitted, with irregular furrows and folds, without clear honeycomb cells. Color yellow-brown, ochre-brown, dark brown. The inner surface (facing the stem) is paler, cream.

The hymenophore is the same as in the common morel: the spore-bearing layer lines the pits of the cap. The mostly elongated pits run vertically, which distinguishes the black morel from the common morel with its more irregular pits.

The hymenophore covers the outer surface of the cap (as in all Pezizales). It consists of layers of asci in which the spores mature. Spore print yellowish to light brown.

Stem 3–8 cm tall, 1.5–3 cm thick, hollow, cylindrical or slightly ribbed. White or cream. Surface uneven, slightly granular. Cap and stem are hollow and fused together.

Stem 5-12 cm tall, 1-2 cm thick, cylindrical, hollow inside or filled with spongy flesh. White to cream, light ochre with age. Surface finely granular, with crosswise furrows. No ring.

Flesh brittle, waxy, hollow inside. Pale cream. Taste delicate and pleasant after cooking. The raw mushroom is potentially toxic.

Flesh thin, waxy, brittle. Light ochre in the cap, whitish in the stem. Does not change color when cut.

Smell pleasant, subtle, earthy, somewhat like the forest floor in spring. It holds and deepens when stewed. A classic spring woodland aroma.

Faint, pleasant mushroomy smell. Mild taste. Note: taste is no indicator of safety — the toxins have no distinct taste.